I have been using Scrivener for at least 15 years now, I think, but this latest incarnation is driving me potty. All I want to do is have a project open on my iMac, to be able to access it on my MacBook, and to have it consistent.
What I find is:
after using my MacBook, when I reopen my documents on the iMac, the screen size is changed to the MacBook’s format: the screen is changed, the Binder’s width is changed, the right hand side is altered too;
when I am typing on the iMac, I cannot seem to get the default font size and type to be fixed. I’ve just printed my latest work in progress, and have some sections in one format, while part way through it can suddenly change to a new one. These changes are held at printing, so every manuscript looks dreadful.
How can I set the format so that the same format is held fixed across all documents? Can I get the format over an entire project with multiple documents to be forced to my standard format? I only use the one format by choice. As things stand I have to export everything to Nisus Writer and change the formats to my preferred form in that just to be able to print and edit.
Any advice hugely gratefully received.
Alternatively, is it possible to strip out many of the newer features and give me back Scrivener 2!
Using Scrivener 3.2.2 on iMac with Catalina 10.15.7
I don’t think you’ll be able to stop the window changing size and location as you come from MacBook to iMac … the physical screen sizes are so different. But what you could try on each is setting the window up how you like it, then saving that as a layout (Window > Layouts > Manage Layouts) and set a shortcut in System Preferences, so that when you move to the other machine, the first thing you do is use the shortcut. Note: I haven’t actually tried this, but I guess it should work.
On the “same font and size” issue, you need to set the default “No Style” text to be the same on each machine. Also, I’d spend time with the Compile system, Ctrl-Click the format you want and choose “Duplicate and Edit”. Go through the different section layouts to make sure the font and size is the one you want for print, and set any Headings and styles you need there, then, when you’ve got it right save it to Project Formats so it will be there on both machines.
Once you’ve formatted one paragraph to work the way you want, you can use the Project → Project Settings → Formatting pane to make it the default for this project, or Scrivener → Scrivener Preferences → Editing → Formatting to make it the default Scrivener-wide. If you’re working between two machines, be aware that the Project Settings will travel with the project, while the Scrivener-wide settings are machine-specific.
Then, the Documents → Convert → Text to Default Formatting command will reformat existing text to the new default.
If you haven’t already, I’d recommend taking a look at our upgrade guide for Scrivener 2 users, as Scrivener 3 has some very significant changes. You can find it here: literatureandlatte.com/scri … date-guide
